Design fiesta

Today we had a design fiesta, I came in early today to help today to set the computer up, and I was really surprised to see how everything came together. I hope everybody will come tonight.

Finishing my final project.

Today I am finishing up my final project, what I am doing for final project is looking at Kawagoe city from my point of view. I designed my own poster for Kawagoe city and also made little music used acoustic guitar. I hope everything will go great at the design fiesta.

Getting ready to be done

Today we are finishing all the pictures from the tattoo sesstion and also we had to go back to talk to the tattoo artist about what traditional tattoo means to him and also putting the audio and music togerther. we found great music on free play music website and we both are really excited about founding the music.

New Start

Today I was helping Tomoka for her final project, we went to Asakusa to shoot Festival there. We walked around taking some pictures and talking to the people who was working on it. We did omikugi which is paper that suppose to tell what you whole year is suppose to be about, and I guess mine life is turning up and if I work hard this year my life will become better life!!!!!

Scar tissue

Today is the day!!!!! We went to tattoo soul to get Suz tattooed, I could tell she was excited but same time nervous, but the guy Hori Shun who was the tattoo artiest he did great job calming her and he was really nice guy that she did not feel any pressure. First he did outline with machine and then he did the rest by hand, he has needles that almost like clip on type and have blade on the top of the stick. While he is shaving the blade into her skin and when take out the blade it leaves the ink, that's how they keep the ink fresh and not fade away. He also talked about how color of ink comes out differently with skin color with traditional way, because it is almost like you are mixing the ink with your skin color (actually making it part of your body), that means each individual person will have own tattoo color and no one copy it, because no one can copy your skin color. I thought it was really deep and nice, I learned a lot from this session.

texture and pattern

Today my partner and I went to Harasyuku to take some picture for our cell phone project. We chose to take any picture around Harazyuku Takesita-douri stores, we got yelled a lot for taking pictures. But after while of taking picture secretly it got a lot more fun when we met different people on the streets and listening to what they really do for their work and the job that they have on the street is just to support their rent and others. one person we met was he was working at sun-glasses store, but he love doing human boom box, he dose some lives music shows here in Japan but same time he has gone to US to do some live shows. It was really interesting what they wanted to share and same time I was surprised that he shared his life with us. I think because it is Japan. It was nice experience.

Festival in Kawagoe

Today I went to the Kawagoe festival today, this festival have been going on since Meigi period, this is a biggest festival of the year, they cover the whole street with stores of food and others. This is festivals that all the people of city comes together and bring out the old tradition of ceremony.

First time we met.......

Today we finally got a interview with the tattoo artists to talk about the design and also to make an appointment, first when we went to the building it looked really sketchy place, but as we goes inside and talk to the tattoo artist which his name is Hori Shun.
He was really nice enough to listen to each details of design, and we also learn that in Japan tattoo is like collaboration with your own design and artist point of view on the design.

Going to Cafe

Today in the class we went to the cafe in Meguro to talk about what we can do with art and what kind of business there is.
Since I did not know what possibility of job I can find in the communication major. This was really great opportunity to hear what is out there.

Today's class was really good day to think about my future and what I really wanna do for rest of my life.

Working day

Today, we were assign for cell phone project, for the project I think Im going to work with Suzanna and Tina. Hope to get some traditional tattoo.

We have been checking out the website of many tattoo artists, but we found out that it is hard to find an artist the dose traditional tattooing these days, because it has to do with health issues, and there are not many places that use needles that made out of bamboos.

Harajyuku Art

Today in the class we went to art gallery for the Tokyo story, even thou I have been to Harajyuku so many times i have never been here, I really liked art on the walls and some pictures and drawing that people had there.

Going there helped me not only on the spacing but the design that I think Im going to work on the final projects.

Kawagoe

Today I visited Kawagoe to take some pictures, but I was surprised that there were so many tourists.
I know Kawagoe had some history but never seeing so many people coming for tourists.
I found out that there is a TV drama that set in Kawagoe is on the TV right now, and that affected the name of the city even more than before.

while I was walking around I saw so many stores that keeping their traditional business since Meigi period.
I really liked the feeling of the city and people were really nice.

Mini-mi of Tokyo

Today I was going through some information about Kawagoe, and I found out that the city used to be called "Koedo", it is because there was a Kawagoe Castle was the headquaters of the Kawagoe Domain and it all connected with Tokugawa.

The buildings all around the city seems kind of new, because almost all the buildings are remaind during Edo period to remodle the city, because it was getting bigger.

From the information I found it really interesting, because I felt like Saitama is really boring and nothing special than other prefecters. Now finding out about more on the city I was born, I am kind of starting to like living in Saitama more.

Candy Shop

For final project, I wanted to story on where I was born, which is Kawagoe.
In the city, there is a section that still keep old building and have business going.
For symbol of Kawagoe, there is a clock that made in Edo period, and they also have that until this day.
In the section of city there is a street that called Okashi-yokochou, it is a street that has old style sweet shops. Each stores have different feeling to it, and since everything is all in a street that tourist loves that they can try different sweets.

For the final project, I want to do something like covering the sweets that they were eating during Edo period, and also focus on style of architecture during Edo period.

It's a long way home........

Third day, I wanted to know how long dose people usually ride train everyday. It takes me about a hour half to get school. since Japan is famous for rush hour, I wanted to focus on ways to get to work.

One guy he was a hair stylist, because he hated rush hour and crowded when he was going to open his own hair salon he choose to open in Saitama. So, everyday he goes to work from Tokyo to Saitama, and do not have to ride crowded train.

Other group that I talked to was girls that goes to same school, they always meet up at Omiya station, so they can all ride train together. They said they like this train station, because pretty much everybody lives Saitama have to stop at Omiya station to switch the train, so it is easy place to meet up.

After I talked to people, I realize that this Train Station has different meanings for different people. Some people have made good memories at this train station, the train station is a central place for people to interact and communicate.

Girls Girls Girls

On 2nd day, I focused on groups of people that meeting up at the train station.
I noticed that between girls and boys, there is a different interact to others.

When I was looking at group of girls, when they all meet up first they tend to get close to say hi but right after that they tend to compare each other by looking at what they are wearing. One group of girls that I was focusing on, I think they are on the way to go some party or Nomi-kai, most girls in the group were dressed up casually and only a girl came dressed up. As soon as the girl alive all the girls were bashing her about how she was dressed up and looked kind of pissed at her, and they almost tend to pull her out of group.

But when I was staring at group of guys, they keep their distance from others but are more casual, there is no complication with others.

From the 2nd day I was surprised by the fact of when girls meet together, the initial exchanges are longer than guys

Time Goes By,.............

I hated train or even train station, I had great last ten years of life that did nothing to do with train, so for this project I choose train station so maybe I will find something new or interesting to make me at least like train station.

This morning I was standing at central Omiya train station, looking around people rushing to their work and school. But out of all the people walking by I saw a group of ladies dressed up in black.

They all seemed sad and in blank, after little while I noticed it is group of people that are going to funeral.
After I saw the group, I realize that train station is a place that people interact first, on the way to their destination.

But it is not like you are meeting people, you are interacting with each other without noticing. Like today when I saw the group of funeral instant I feel bad and little relate to them by remembering about the loss.

By each morning on the way to your destination, I bet each of you will find something new. It can be sad or good thing, but the train station is the place that people come together and kind of share your life story to the strangers.

I think we can learn about someone by looking at their fashion style or music that they are listening to and conversation to you accidently heard while standing by someone.